Frozen Peas
by nerdkink
Summary: A mother trying to find her son and using what she is used to find him, but is it really the right choice.


"The Commonwealth looks different from up here. Doesn't it..." Everything seemed so small while half a mile away from the filth of the wasteland. The short woman stood, leaning against the minigun before her, showing no sign that she was listening to the Paladin behind her. Her dog layed next to her left boot, looking down but unfazed. Lily stood there, her Vault 111 jumpsuit dirty and armored with leather padding, It had been months since she had woken up from cryogenic sleep, but to her it was just 2077, before the bombs fell.

"It never ceases to amaze me how drastically your perception of the battle field changes from the air. We are going to need that once we take on the Institute." The soldier continued the whirl of the vertabird's blades nearly overpowering his commanding voice, then it was lost in the sound of fire while the woman began firing a haze of bullets into a group of mirelurks.

"I wish everyone down there believed in our cause, but they have been blinded by rumors and misinformation," Paladin Danse was now heard after she ceased fire. She spat out at the side of the 'bird as if to marking her kill. From what the Paladin had saw, she was cold as if she was still frozen. A soldier in her right. "They don't understand that the Brotherhood of Steel is the last hope for survival. Every man, woman and child will know mortal danger if we fail."

"You must practice that in your sleep." Lily said under her breathe. He seemed not to notice as he continued to speak about his oh-so-holy Brotherhood . This song and dance was something the woman had heard one too many times, she grew up with soldier brothers and, while she had the drive to become a soldier - even in 2064 - woman were meant to be housewives and mothers, not soldiers. Even with her family waiting her to fit into their heavy-handed mold, she was one of the few woman in her law school to pass the BAR in 2070.

"There she is. It's been far too long since I was aboard her ). Alright soldier, this is the moment when everything else changes, I hope you're ready" The whirl was louder as the vertibird slipped closer to the Prydwen. The giant airship floated like a pre-war blimp with four pylons on the ship flight deck, each with what she would guess held one jet engine. There were four docks for Vertibirds; parked into the first dock on the right. Danse slipped passed her, her small frame made it easy for him to pass by her, even in power armor. Dogmeat, the mut she found the day she left the vault, followed him. Looking down, she breathed heavily, glad for the solid ground she step out on the dock. The dark black metal grates showed the airport under them.

"Permission to come aboard." Paladin Danse was standing next to Lancer-Captain Kells. They continued to talk as the woman walked steadily towards the two.

"Yes, we have read your reports. You'll be pleased to know that Elder Maxison has approved your request and leaves the recruit in your charge," Lancer-Captain Kells spoke as the woman stood before them, her feet shoulder length apart, her arms crossed behind her. This was not her first time standing in front of an higher officer, but it was her first time really doing anything like this. Danse had walked away once he had gotten his orders and Kells turned his interests to Lily. "So you are the one that Paladin Danse has taken under his wing. You're the first recruit he has supported in some time, " he said, studying the small woman before him, " and you don't look much like a soldier to me."

"Looks can be deceiving." She wanted to scoff at him but kept her composure, another great thing she learned in her time being a lawyer: composure is everything.

"I've read Paladin Danse's report. He seems to think you would be a fine addition to the Brotherhood. You might expect an endorsement like that to grant you a great deal of latitude with us, but let me make one thing clear: the Brotherhood of Steel has traveled to the Commonwealth with a specific goal in mind. As captain of this vessel, I won't let anyone Jeopardize this mission, no matter how valuable they think they are. Understood?"

"Absolutely." Kells seemed like a man not to mess with... but if he planned to get in her way - for whatever reason - it might take a hundred soldier to bring her down. Cause nothing... nothing to get in the way of a mother finding her son.

"Good. That is all for now, soldier. Your orders are to proceed to the command deck for the address after which Elder Maxson wishes to have a couple words with you. Dismissed." He wanted her gone almost as much as she wanted to leave. Luckily, he wasn't her drill sergeant.

Walking away seemed easy as she turned to her right. She climbed a few steps to a soldier in power armor and a minigun. He turned to her and grunted, "Joining the Brotherhood is the best things you'll ever do, sister."

"Lets hope," she turned back to the soldier.

"I get off at 2200, initiate. Join me in the mess hall. I enjoy buying at least one drink for every new recruit." The idea that some random male would offer her a drink was common in her old life... but in this new world, she kept to herself, mainly because the ones offering her a drink would grab her ass and she would most likely get kicked out for breaking the man's fingers.

"If I'm up, knight, but as of now I don't want to be late for Elder Maxson's address." He nodded, or it looked like he did, as power armor didn't show the small detailed movements. She pushed open the door and a deep voice boomed through the speakers. "Damn it." She walked faster past a set of stairs and a ladder, into the command deck where rows of soldiers stood, and she slipped behind one. "He's the elder?" she mumbled to herself. The man in front of her turned to her, then looked back ahead to the elder.

"...Without question. Now that the ship is in position it is time to reveal our purpose and our mission. Beneath the commonwealth there is a cancer known as the Institute. A malignant growth that needs to be cut before it infects the surface. They are experimenting with dangerous technology that could prove to be the world's undoing for the second time. In recent history, the institute scientists have created a weapon that transcends the nature of the atom bomb. They call their creation the synth. A robotic abomination of technology that is free thinking a masquerades as a human being," The Elder spoke domineeringly.

Lily rolled her eyes and moved her left arm toward herself, she knew it would have been an insult to start playing Pipfall on her pipboy. She realized another reason why she didn't become a soldier while he continued talking. Their militant stance disgusted her, the way the Elder and even the Paladin - whom she had gotten to know - were so black and white in their views. But Lily, she lived for the gray.

Looking at the map on her pipboy, she saw the places she had been, she thought about all the people that she meet and helped. She thought about Nick and his plastic face, how she had such a hard time getting over who and what he was, just to find out that he seemed like a normal person- if you could call him a person - she had meet. He had the same sense of justice as she did and that was a rare trait to find in this new commonwealth. Sure, she could use his eyes as a flashlight and she once cut herself grabbing his left hand (which were pretty much just metal claws by now) to get him away from a flying missile. He seemed to have her six covered, yet Paladin Danse won't allow him into the police station because the site of his exposed wires was making him sick.

Running her index finger over the screen of her pipboy, she passed through the settlements she help build with Nick and Piper, who also hated the institute and their synths, but were still reasonable people. Then she ran her finger over the fort where she found Kellogg and his synths. She had no issue killing them and then him. She almost died killing him but the will to live and her will to find her son was stronger than his will to kill her. "I'll find you Shaun and kill everyone who stands in my way," she told herself.

Lily was jolted back to reality when she felt one of the knights brush past her. Looking up, she saw the room had emptied until it was just her and the Elder, who was facing away from her and lying on the railing. There was no doubt in her mind that he didn't realize that she had zoned out of his speech - in fact, she expected him to chew her out for such insolent behavior.


End file.
